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MARY POTTS : 1849 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT TREASURE OF GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY OF EARLY SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is an original, intriguing soft leather covered notebook dated 1849 used as personal journal handwritten by Mary Potts a Quaker woman, we believe, from Springfield, Missouri. The book has an 1849 'Almanac' being a simple monthly calendar on the inside front cover, and a nice lithograph of a merchant ship and cargo on the back inside cover. Most curious and very detailed are the segments of this journal: 'Some account of my friends & acquaintance Marriage Engagements'; 'Young Married Women with whom I am Acquainted'; 'The Children of Those Whom I know'; 'Young Persons Deceased, Schoolmates, Cousins or friends'; 'Elderly Relatives or Friends Whom I have known, deceased'. Over 44 pages our author notes in specific detail that will impress local historians and collectors or anyone doing genealogy studies, or searching for history regarding the State of Missouri given the dozens and dozens of names of family, friends, schoolmates and acquaintances, together with dates of engagements, marriages, births or deaths. She gives the dates of their death and sometimes writes something personal about them, occasionally giving her opinion as to whether she believes they will go to heaven or not. There are also references to causes of death as "disaster of the heart" and "disaster of the brain"; a great number of people had died from "pulmonary consumption" as tuberculosis or "TB" was referred to in those days. There are many references to her "religious society", "monthly meeting district" and "yearly meetings". She is a very religious peppering the entries with spiritual poems and scriptures in the diary amongst the notes of births and deaths. Here is an example of an entry: "9 mo, 1842, William M. Hartshorne, son of Dr. Hartshorne, on board the schooner "Seminole" supposed to have been wrecked in a storm, being known to have sailed from Havana, and to have touched at Key West, and not afterward been heard of." One of her poems: "Pilgrim heavenward, faint and weary, With the trials of the day; Few alas! The lights to cheer them, As they walked the narrow way. Though the archer filled his quiver, Harmless are his shafts at length; Though they surely grieved thee, even Hath thy bow abode in strength. Now thy pilgrimage is ended, Mourner, oh how sweet thy rest And the sound of welcome blended, With the anthems of the blest." Overall VG.. English. Book Condition: Good

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